


before the battle against Cersei

by 9liseraph6



Category: A Song of Ice and Fire - George R. R. Martin, Game of Thrones (TV)
Genre: Canon Divergence, Daenerys Targaryen Is Not a Mad Queen, Daenerys Targaryen-centric, I'll see, idk where i'm going with this yet, jon and arya are in love in this story
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-02-18
Updated: 2020-02-19
Packaged: 2021-02-28 06:02:40
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,537
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22789177
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/9liseraph6/pseuds/9liseraph6
Summary: Daenerys must get ready for the battle against usurper Cersei Lannister while not letting her doubts and hunger for power destroy everything she fought so hard for...
Kudos: 3





	before the battle against Cersei

Daenerys was looking down the yard of Winterfell from the battlements. She didn't know how long she had been up there, in silence, staring at the Northeners below who were preparing themselves for battle. Despite her young age, Daenerys had known fighting most of her life, but it didn't mean she had got used to it over time. On the contrary, she was growing weary of war and battle strategy. She longed for the peace the people of Westeros had known after Robert's rebellion against her father the Mad King. She thought of the iron throne, her throne. If only she could find an easier way to get it. She knew of one way, but that was not just. She heard her dead brother's voice echoing in her head : "You have two dragons left. Two is enough to burn the city to the ground. To get rid of Cersei and take what is ours, what belongs to our family. Take the city and your throne with fire and blood.". She shook her head to quiet her mind. 

When she looked down again, she saw Ser Jorah walking across the yard but it was not right; he had died two days before during the Battle for the Dawn. She looked more closely and her heart broke all over again when the face of the man she had taken for her friend was nobody but a stranger. If she had any tears to spare she would have wept then. She was about to leave when her eyes caught sight of another familiar figure. Jon Snow was entering the yard, his sword in one hand. Walking by his side was his sister, the youngest one, Arya Stark. She had only been able to catch a few glances of the Stark girl, the Savior of Winterfell. Arya, unlike Sansa, spent most of her days lurking around the castle, hidden from sight. Daenerys had also heard rumors about the girl, nasty tales. Seeing her now, looking up at her brother and smiling at him so sweetly, almost shyly, Daenerys had a hard time believing them. She seemed lovely and vulnerable here with her brother, though she did kill the Night King where both her dragons, Drogon and Rhaegal, had failed. Arya Stark was not to be underestimated, Daenerys concluded. She was closed to Jon, far more than he was to Sansa, that much was clear. If she wanted to turn her brother against her, Daenerys knew she could do it. She watched the way he looked at her, as if she was the most precious thing in the world. Jon had never looked at Daenerys like that. Arya took out her own sword and stood face to Jon. They were going to train. The first blow came from Arya. It was so quick it startled both her and Jon. Daenerys followed the training with great interest and fascination. They were as good as Jorah had been, maybe even better. She was so focused on the fight that happened below her that she didn't hear Sansa Stark coming to join her. Daenerys jumped a little when she finally saw her, but Sansa didn't notice. She was watching the fight as intently as Daenerys had a few seconds ago. She didn't only see interest in the Lady Stark's eyes, though. There was something else there, something that looked a lot like fear. That did nothing to comfort Daenerys. If Arya's own sister feared her, maybe the rumors she had heard about the girl were true. 

They both watched the sword fight in silence for a while before Sansa opened her mouth to speak, never leaving her siblings from her sight. 

"They had always been close. When they are together, nothing else really matters. It's same as if they were in their own little world." She paused to look at Daenerys. "This war against Cersei must be won and the North freed. I pledged to you, the Northern soldiers's fates are in your hands now. Do not let a lost battle for my brother's affection blinds you from what must be your unique goal at this moment; our common enemy, Cersei Lannister. Don't forget that... Your Grace." 

Sansa believed her weak, but Daenerys paid no mind. She loved Jon Snow with all her heart but she would not let a man stand in the way of what belonged to her by right. The iron throne was on her mind all the time, she didn't need to be reminded of its importance and what her victory against Cersei meant for Westeros and the North. But she understood Sansa was only afraid of losing everything she and Jon had fought so hard for. She wouldn't be surprised to learn that those troubled thoughts kept the Lady of Winterfell awake at night.

"I haven't sacrificed my men and Jorah Mormont's lives for Jon Snow. I did it because the iron throne means more to me than anything else in the world. The Night King and his army needed to be defeated, but now that this is behind us I will not let anything or anyone, not even love, direct my actions. The only reason I traveled from all the way to Essos, Lady Sansa, the reason I've been fighting all these years without a rest, is because I intend to take back what is mine. Not for a man's pretty eyes, not even for my fallen friends, or my people, but for House Targaryen, my family. For revenge."

Daenerys saw her words had reassured the young lady. The lines of her face had softened a little, even only for a couple of seconds. She put her hard face on again quickly and made one of her enigmatic smile before glancing back one last time at Arya and Jon. "I can trust revenge."

When Arya looked up she saw her sister and the Dragon Queen exchanging a few words before Sansa bowed her head slightly and took her leave. That could not be good. According to Jon, these two had a hard time getting along. She stared at Jon who was picking up his sword that had fallen on the ground after Arya disarmed him. He was out of breath, like she was, but she knew he could keep going all day if he had to. After all, he was a great swordman. Arya looked back at the battlements and was surprised to see that the Dragon Queen was gone. She got cold all over and tried to shake this uneasy feeling off her by focusing on the training. Jon gave her a look but she only shrugged at him. She stood still and waited for Jon to attack her. He went for her waist like she expected and she had no problem stopping the blow. What she did not expect was for Jon to aim for her waist a second time. She lost her footing and fell backwards with a scream. The people around them all stared and she felt stupid. Jon offered to help her get up but Arya slapped his hand hard. She knew that he saw then something was off about her, but she pretended not to notice the confusion on his face and attacked him frontly. He stopped her blow. She aimed for his arm, then his legs and his arm again. She was so fast he was having a hard time keeping up. He was not going to give up, though, Arya knew it. She loved that about him. She sped up the pace, making it more difficult for him, and finally touched his side. She quickly retreated to avoid his blow and quickly hit him again.  
They kept going for a good hour before Arya's legs and arms started to feel sore. Jon seemed relieved when she asked for a break. They were so happy with their training that they fell into each other's arms after the fight. Then, Jon messed up her hair the way he used to when she was little. The familiarity made her feel more at home than ever. Deep down, she hoped he felt as good with her as her with him.

They passed multiple groups of people training with sword like they did. Arya looked at all of them with proud eyes. They were her people, the people of her father, her family. She was wanted here, needed, even. She would do anything to keep all these people safe from Cersei. They had Daenerys and her dragons now, they had to win. Arya trusted the Dragon Queen when she said the world would be a better place when she took back the throne of her ancestors. She really did. She had to believe in her, she was their only chance. She looked at Jon, and he looked back at her. Jon loved Daenerys. He loved her very much. But he also was a threat to her. What if, after the war is won, Daenerys turned on him? Could Jon do what needs to be done? Could he? Arya didn't like to think about that. But Jon must have thought about it, too. Did he know already what he would do if the Dragon Queen betrayed him?

**Author's Note:**

> So, s8 was a bit of a let down. I decided to rewrite what happens after the battle of the dawn because why not? I don't know when I'll update this or where I'm going with this… I just wanted to put this out there so I don't forget about it.
> 
> That's it. Thank you for reading. :)


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